Superheroes like Batman and Superman are not just supposed to stop villains and criminals, they symbolize a certain heroism. This seems to work in real life as well, according to a study.
What study is it about? In November 2025, the scientific journal Nature published a study about the Batman Effect
. A team of psychologists wanted to investigate the effect of unexpected events on social behavior.
For this, an experiment was conducted in a subway. A woman was dressed up to look pregnant and they observed how many people offered her a seat. In comparison, the experiment was conducted again, but an actor entered the subway dressed as Batman (without a mask, though). The two did not interact with each other, and they looked at whether the presence of the hero made a difference.
Batman also seems to be a symbol in real life
What did the study find? A total of 138 sessions were conducted, 61 of which involved Batman. In the 71 experiments without him, the chance that someone would give up their seat for the pregnant woman was 37.66%. With Batman, however, the chances increased to 67.21%. This implies, according to the study, that Batman’s presence had an influence on the behavior of the other subway passengers.
Some of the passengers were asked why they had made space. They cited social norms, safety, and upbringing as reasons, with no one associating their behavior with Batman. 14 of the respondents even said that they hadn’t seen Batman at all.
According to the study, this Batman Effect supports the hypothesis that disruptions of routine sharpen the perception of one’s surroundings and increase sensitivity to the needs of others, ultimately promoting prosocial behavior
. However, the study does not show whether Batman as a hero has an additional effect here. It even assumes that the effect could also be applied to non-superheroes. An unusual event could, therefore, disable the autopilot of people
and sharpen awareness of the surroundings.
Interestingly, there was already a study in 2016 regarding a Batman Effect
concerning the perseverance of young children (via National Library of Medicine). Children between the ages of four and six were given a repetitive task and the option to take a break to play a video game.
The study found that the children who spent the most time on the task were identifying with a role model, in this case, Batman, Dora, Bob the Builder, and Rapunzel. Here again, the thought of a motivating figure seems to have had an influence.
Most superhero fans were likely inspired by their favorite character as children. Which character comes to your mind immediately? Feel free to share it with us in the comments. Dragon Ball could have had an effect on you too: You may have learned an important trait thanks to Piccolo in Dragon Ball
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